A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

1745.] DEFENCES OF LOUISBOURG. 95sixty feet thick. The glacis sloped down to a vastmarsh, which formed one of the best defences of theplace. The fortress, without counting its outworks,had embrasures for one hundred and forty-eightcannon ;but the number in position was much less,and is variously stated. Pomeroy says that at theend of the siege a little above ninety were found,with " a great number of swivels " ; others say seventysix.^ In the Grand and Island batteries there weresixty heavy pieces more. Against this formidablearmament the assailants had brought thirty-fourcannon and mortars, of much inferior weight, to beused in bombarding the fortress, should they chanceto fail of carrying it by surprise, "while the enemywere asleep." 2 Apparently they distrusted theefficacy of their siege-train, though it was far strongerthan Shirley had at &st thought sufficient; for theybrought with them good store of balls of forty-twopounds, to be used in French cannon of that calibrewhich they expected to capture, their own largestpieces being but twenty-two-pounders.According to the HaUtant de Louisbourg, the garrisonconsisted of five hundred and sixty regulartroops, of whom several companies were Swiss,besides some thirteen or fourteen hundred militia,inhabitants partly of the town, and partly of neigh-1 Brown, Cape Breton, 183. Parsons, Life of Pepperrell, 103. Ananonymous letter, dated Louisbourg, 4 July, 1745, says that eightyfivecannon and six mortars have been found in the town.2 Memoirs of the Principal Transactions of the Last War, 40.